Behind the Demon
by Aurora M. Tepes
Summary: Vincent's past comes back to haunt him. I stink at summaries. FF7SM xover. Multichapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Sailor Moon (thankfully) or Final Fantasy VII (sadly).

**Aurora's Note:** Please no flames! This may not work, we're just trying it out! This takes place post-AC and does have some of the SHMs showing up. You'll see later. Pairings: CloudXTifa, CidXShera, VincentXLucrecia, may be more, pairings are subject to change.

**Behind the Demon**

**Chapter 1**

**By Aurora M. Tepes and Niara A. Tepes**

Somehow Tifa had managed to get in contact with the former members of AVALANCHE and bring them all to 7th Heaven for a three-year anniversary of defeating Sephiroth, (the first time).

Finding most of them was easy, just call their cell phones and they'd be glad to come. However, Red XIII was not as easily reached. He had found other members of his almost extinct race and brought them back to Cosmo Canyon. He was having trouble getting them all settled in.

Vincent was an entirely different story. He had a cell phone, he just didn't answer it. To make matters worse, they didn't even know where to _find_ him. But, miraculously he answered his phone one day and agreed to the reunion.

Now the group was back together. They talked, some of them drank, most of them laughed. They even managed to make Vincent smile.

However, they were not the only ones celebrating. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz had been given another chance at life. So, they naturally had gone to their "big brother" for support and help. Those three were happily conversing with their former enemies and playing with Marlene and Denzel. For some reason, Marlene had taken a special liking to Vincent and refused to leave any room that he was in.

Tifa and Cloud were engaged and Cid and Shera had been married for a year. The sun was beginning to set and the entire group was seated around one large table.

"So, Cid," Yuffie prodded, grinning, "what's it like being married?" Shera blushed and so did Cid.

"Well…" he said, at a loss for words. "Well, it's a lot better than I thought it'd be!" Yuffie giggled.

Kadaj gagged as Tifa and Cloud stared dreamily at each other. He kicked Cloud's leg as Cloud reached out to grab Tifa's hand.

"Hey! What was that for!" Cloud demanded angrily. Kadaj mustered up the most innocent face he could manage.

"Are you going to stop being around us once you…you know," Loz asked sheepishly. Cloud laughed.

"Is _that_ what's bothering you three?" he said. "Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I can't spend time with you guys!" Barret shrugged.

"Ya neva know!" he said. "I neva once saw my uncles. Neva once! I tell ya, marriage does sumthin' to ya!"

Marlene cocked her head to the side and looked up at Vincent.

"Is that why _you_ never got married to Lucrecia?" she asked innocently. Vincent tensed but said nothing.

"Marlene, I don't think that's the best question to ask," Tifa said softly.

"The child has a right to answers," Vincent input quietly. "However, that is one that I am not ready to give."

"Hey, why don't you ever talk about your family, Vincent?" Reeve asked jovially. Vincent stood.

"I have no family," he hissed. Without another word, he left the room. The others looked at each other in silence. No one dared go after. They finished their meal as happily as they could, each with the intention of attempting to cheer their mysterious friend afterwards.

---

Hotaru Tomoe, the, technically, youngest of the Sailor Scouts, stared out the window of the temple, watching as Rei's crows hopped among the limbs of the twin cherry trees out front. Her violet eyes never strayed as she watched one of the two birds snatch up a rock that had suddenly been flung at them, the gesture causing a familiar ache in her heart. Shaking her head, she turned away from the two unknowing avians and listened to the news that Rei was breaking to the group.

"It's not like I want to go," Rei was saying, shoving strands of her long, sable hair out of her face. "It's just that, I haven't seen my cousin since before the entire Shin-Ra mess started, and now, my father calls me out of the blue to tell me that I have to go to the wedding. And it's out near the Forgotten City."

Hotaru blinked. That was where…She glanced at the faces of the others, noticing how all of them seemed a bit unsure of how to handle Rei's little bombshell, including Setsuna, the Guardian of Time. Then, she glanced back at Rei, her mind made up as to what she had to do. "When are you leaving?"

Rei looked at Hotaru in surprise, wondering what would have brought the quietest and most forlorn of the Scouts out of her shell to ask such a thing. "Three days. The wedding's in a couple of weeks, but they wanted me to try and get there early." She turned her focus back to the entire group before she continued. "And, they wanted me to bring a guest. I thought about asking one of you, but I figured that it might be a bit difficult to get off of work for such a long time."

"I can go," Hotaru admitted quietly. At the looks that everyone was now sending her, she shrugged, an indifferent expression on her face. "I don't have anything else to do and getting out of the city for a little while will do me some good."

Glancing at the three scouts who had come to be Hotaru's guardians, Rei sighed and nodded, her eyes sliding closed. "Alright. I'll call my father and let him know. You don't mind staying in a bar for the next few weeks, do you?"

"It doesn't matter to me," the Scout of Silence answered in her soft voice, the words as soothing as her touch sometimes was. "So long as you call me before we leave. I need make sure I have everything that I'm going to need and I need to tell Father that I won't be in town for a while."

Rei nodded, rising to her feet with the rest of them. "I'll call in two days to let you know the details."

---

Vincent stared out at the rainy landscape. The others had long since gone to bed. Their sincere attempts to cheer him hadn't worked all that well. He had locked himself in the room he would be occupying for the next few weeks, (Tifa had so conveniently granted him the basement).

Family… 

The word echoed in his mind, bringing unwanted memories to the surface of his swirling abyss of thought. Images flashed through his head. A man in a long, white lab coat hastening toward a defenseless little girl. A woman with long, raven hair laying on her deathbed. A girl no older than six with a bruised and bleeding body. The same girl, a few years older, reaching out to him, crying.

He felt her presence suddenly. It was something he hadn't felt for 33 years…and it was moving toward him. A shimmer of emotion flickered through his blood red eyes.

"So, how am I going to get out of this one?" Vincent mused. He suddenly doubled over with pain. It shot through every fiber of his body and it mounted to an intolerable level as a voice joined the mix.

"_I HATE YOU!"_ the words echoed painfully in Vincent's mind. He flinched at their sharp inflections. The voice continued. _"Why are you leaving? Why? Can't you take me with you?"_

"Wait…!" he croaked out, reaching his hand to an invisible figure. "I don't want…don't want to… AAH!" Pain racked his body again and he did his best to stand.

A torrent of sights and sounds flooded Vincent's senses. Overwhelmed, he stumbled back onto the bed. As one final cry of anguish coursed through his system, he passed out.

---

**Aurora's note:** Thanks for readin'! I should have more on my other fics soon. Sorry I don't yet. More chapters to come! Review please, (no flames)!


	2. Chapter 2

**Aurora's note:** You know the drill. Please no flames. We don't own either creation. Pairings: CloudXTifa, VincentXLucrecia, CidXShera, and RenoXElena, (I'm sorry, I just think it works). Sorry it's taken so long. Niara's work has gotten in the way. Don't blame her. Don't blame me either. Hopefully there will be a little more of the SHMs in the subsequent chapters, (along with more Vincent! Yea Vincent!)Enjoy.

**Behind the Demon**

**Chapter 2**

**By Aurora M. Tepes and Niara A. Tepes**

The train thundered into the station at Edge, coming to a squealing halt in front of the platform as the driver slammed on the breaks. "CITY OF EDGE!"

The doors on the train opened and several people hurried off the giant machine, clutching their bags as they hunted the crowd for their family and friends. Two of the last to disembark were Rei Hino and Hotaru Tomoe, their dark, violet eyes scanning the crowd for one specific person. Rei finally sighted who she was looking for and let out a sigh of relief, grabbing Hotaru's wrist.

"I see her." Hotaru didn't say a word as Rei dragged her through the mediocre sized crowd to where a tall young woman with long brown hair and brown eyes stood waiving at them, a smile on her beautiful face. Rei waved back, a smile splitting her normally serious face. "Tifa!"

"Rei!" Tifa cried. She embraced Rei warmly, causing the fiery Scout to tense ever so much. But then, family affections won out and Rei returned the favor. "I've got to introduce you to my friends! So much has happened since we last met, you wouldn't believe half of it."

"Believe me, I think I would," Rei replied. "Oh, and this is my friend Hotaru Tomoe. She'll be attending the wedding too." Tifa shook hands warmly with a slightly scared Hotaru. Then, the expert fighter led them over to a small group of people.

"These are some of the friends I've met in the last few years. This is my fiancé Cloud Strife, you remember him, don't you?" Tifa said as she gestured to a tall man with slightly glowing eyes and unnaturally spiky hair. Rei smiled and shook hands with Cloud. "This is Reno. He's a Turk, still works for Shin-Ra, but he's on our side. He's our best man. Don't ask _me_ why." Tifa gestured to a slightly taller man with _bright_ red hair, spiked at the top, but pulled into a long ponytail at the bottom. Reno scowled at Tifa as he shook Rei's hand.

"Hey! If you don't want me to be in it, yo-!" Reno started.

"Nonononononononono!" Cloud burst out. "You _have _to be the best man! I would rather _you_ be the best man than-than-than…Barret or Cid or…(dare I say it)…Cait Sith! And we all know that Vincent won't do anything of the sort!" Reno tried not to laugh. It didn't work. In seconds he was rolling on the dirty ground, laughing his head off.

"_Anyway_," Tifa interjected. "This is Yuffie Kisaragi. She's a 'materia hunter,' and also the princess of Wutai." Yuffie grinned and shook Rei's hand.

"So…you're a thief?" Rei questioned. Yuffie's grin disappeared.

"I AM NOT A THIEF!" Yuffie exclaimed, drawing a little _too_ much attention.

"Well, seeing as you _stole_ our materia the first time we met you…" Cloud murmured. Hotaru rolled her eyes, a feeling of dejá vu washing over her. This reminded her almost too much of Rei and Serena in high school.

"Another group of sugar-happy young people," she muttered, her voice a monotone the reminded the FF7 people an awful lot of a certain red eyed man in a red cape. Rei shook her head, too used to Hotaru's personality swings to care about how she sounded.

"Behave, Hotaru," she said calmly. "We can't have you going insane. Again." Hotaru glared at her for a second, but she relented in the glare when she saw the teasing smile on Rei's lips. Reno was staring at Hotaru, his eyes a little wild.

"You sound like that ex-Turk…uh, what was his name, uh…Valentine!" he said.

"Speaking of Vincent, do you know if he was awake…or even there this morning?" Cloud asked Tifa. Tifa shook her head.

"I don't know. He's probably somewhere else. All I expect from him is that he be at the wedding. I'll be surprised if he's at anything else," she sighed.

"So how many new friends do you have?" Rei asked in genuine curiosity. Tifa thought for a moment.

"Quite a few," Tifa answered. "Let's go back to the bar so we can get everybody introduced."

---

The group pulled up in front of the bar and got out of the Shin-Ra provided car. They all entered and Hotaru and Rei left their bags in the entrance as Marlene and Denzel sprinted to Tifa and Cloud. Tifa laughed as she hugged both of them, Cloud smiled and gave them each a one-armed hug.

"This is Marlene. She's Barret's adopted daughter, but she stays with us most of the time," Tifa explained to Rei. "And this is Denzel. He was orphaned during Meteor and we're adopting him." Rei nodded, smiling. She always knew her cousin would end up running something like an orphanage.

"Red's around here somewhere, he may've gone out back," Denzel informed Cloud.

"What about the others?" Tifa inquired.

"Daddy's gone to finish up some business, Mr. Reeve had to go see Mr. Rufus, Mr. Vincent left just after you guys. He said something about visiting…Lu…Lu…" Marlene said.

"Lucrecia?" Tifa suggested.

"Yeah! Her!" Marlene replied happily. "But he said I couldn't come!" Marlene crossed her arms and pouted. Tifa gave Rei a look that clearly said, 'typical.'

"So…Where are Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj?"

"They're straightening around the house. They said not to let you guys upstairs until they finish. Oh! And Ms. Elena, Mr. Rude, and Mr. Tseng are here! And Cid and Shera had to go and pick up a few more things in Rocket Town." As Marlene said this, she brightened up considerably, grinning as if she knew something the others didn't. "So we get to take your bags up."

"Sorry, Marlene, but you aren't allowed up yet either," a voice said softly. They all looked to the stairway. A tall youth with long silver hair stood leaning against the wall. He had come in so quietly that no one had noticed him. He wore a long, leather coat, black gloves, black pants, and black leather boots. "And neither is Denzel." Denzel snapped his fingers, looking disappointed.

"May I at _least_ introduce our guests before your haul their belongings up to the extra room?" Tifa asked sarcastically. The youth cocked his head to the side and waited. "Rei, Hotaru, this is Yazoo. He's…" Yazoo shook his head, as if to say, 'nevermind.'

"Nice to meet you. I apologize that the rooms aren't ready yet, but I'm sure you can make yourselves comfortable while you wait," Yazoo said with a slight bow. He stepped forward and grabbed their bags before stepping back, pulling Denzel off the staircase, and swiftly and quietly making his way up the stairs.

As Yazoo disappeared into the second floor, a younger man with shorter silver hair bounded down the stairs and spread his arms wide, as if protecting the wooden structures. He grinned.

"Not ready yet! No one's allowed up until we're finished!" he announced happily…a little _too_ happily. Tifa exchanged a worried glance with Cloud.

"It's not something…weird…is it?" she asked hesitantly. The man shook his head.

"Now into the bar! All of you! We'll come get you when we're ready!" He herded the group into the bar before bouncing back up the stairs, humming brightly.

"Well, that was Kadaj. There's one more of them up there, Loz. But you should meet him later," Tifa explained as she sighed. "Oh, and be glad that Yazoo actually _spoke_ to you without Kadaj and Loz around him. He's a little shy."

Hotaru stopped when she entered the room, trying to remember the exact structure of Kadaj's face, but then, Yazoo's looked a lot more like...

"What's wrong?" Rei whispered.

"He looked so familiar…I can't place it," Hotaru murmured. Running a hand through her short hair, Hotaru let her breath out in a huff before she followed the others into the bar, sitting down in a corner so that she could just observe what was going to happen. Rei sat beside her cousin, throwing a glance at the three people standing by the bar, each one with an annoyed expression on their faces.

"So," Rei said carefully, "what have you been doing lately?"

Tifa shrugged and glanced at Cloud, clearly unsure as to what to say. Cloud merely shrugged in response and went back to studying Hotaru, a frown on his lips. Tifa punched him, lightly, in the arm, and scowled. "Oh, you're a big help."

Hotaru shook her head, a tiny smile gracing her lips, before she pulled a small notebook out of her satchel and flipped it open, raising a brow at Cloud, clearly amused about something. "Is there something you needed, Mr. Strife?"

Cloud leaned back and stroked his chin thoughtfully. Then he shook his head.

"You just remind me of someone…that's all. I just can't think of who," he answered.

Reno took this moment to intervene. He came silently up behind the occupied Hotaru and slid an arm around her waist. He grinned as Hotaru looked at him in annoyance.

"Get _OFF!_" she commanded, backhanding him. Reno fell onto the slick floor.

"What was that for, yo?" he demanded angrily as he got to his feet. One of the three by the bar, a tall, bald man whose dark sunglasses shaded his eyes, walked over to Reno and helped him up.

"You're too aggressive, partner," the man said in a low voice. Reno dusted himself off.

"I almost forgot to introduce my friends, yo!" Reno announced, suddenly. "This is Rude, my long-time partner and very good friend," he said, gesturing to the bald man. Rude nodded. "This is my boss, Tseng." Tseng was a tall man with long, slicked-back, black hair. He nodded. "And this is my co-worker, (and girlfriend), Elena." Elena blushed. She was of medium height and had short, layered, blond hair.

"Reno, if you have a girlfriend, why were trying to hit on Hotaru?" Tifa said sternly. Reno blushed.

"Well…I…uh…I wasn't trying to hit on her! I was…Just being friendly!" Reno shot back. Tifa rolled her eyes and stepped behind the bar.

"So, who'd like a drink?" she asked happily.

* * *

**Aurora's Note:** Sorry it took so long. Niara is swamped…I think… So don't expect rapid updates. Please no flames. Better stuff to come soon. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Aurora's note:** You know the drill. Please no flames. We don't own either creation. Pairings: CloudXTifa, VincentXLucrecia, CidXShera, and RenoXElena, (I'm sorry, I just think it works). Again, my apologies for how long it's taken. Enjoy!

**Behind the Demon**

**Chapter 3**

**By Aurora M. Tepes and Niara A. Tepes**

"If you would be so kind, Tifa, please a round of drinks for us," Tseng requested, gesturing to the other Turks. Tifa smiled, nodded, and performed the request easily. She looked around at the others as Red XIII came in.

"Oh, I see our guests have arrived," he commented. He padded over to Rei and Hotaru. "My name is Nanaki, but most of the others call me Red." He bowed slightly.

"RED! HEY! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE OMEGA!" Yuffie exclaimed, bounding over to him and embracing the lion-like creature.

(**A/N Aurora:** This is post-DoC for those of you who know. Shelke will show up later…)

A tiny smile graced Hotaru's pale visage and she shook her head slightly. "And thus the lamb hath conquered the wolf. How despairing the world hath become."

Several looks were sent Hotaru's way, especially from Yuffie, and Rei laughed. "You get used to that. Hotaru likes to make obscure comments that nobody gets and enjoys the confusion it can cause."

Cloud exchanged glances with Tifa. "Sound like anybody else we know?" Tifa just smiled and started humming as she cleaned up a little around the bar.

"Tifa! Can ya mix me up sumpthin' stronger than this?" Reno requested loudly. Tifa scowled.

"Not _this_ early in the morning. I won't let you get _drunk_ around the kids! You know that, Reno!"

"Same old Tifa," Rei commented with a wide grin. "Still calling the shots when the guys have the guns."

"Sound like anyone _we_ know, Rei," Hotaru asked sweetly, amethyst eyes glittering. Rei laughed and nodded.

"And now you know where I got it," she replied. "We were inseparable as kids, so bits of our personalities rubbed off on each other."

"Bits?" Cloud asked, en eyebrow shooting up almost to his hairline. "Between you being a pyromaniac and Tifa's martial arts, I was scared to close my eyes for a minute when you two were together!" Tifa laughed.

"Did we _scare_ you back then, sweetie?" she asked sweetly. Cloud scowled. Yuffie tried to sneak past Tifa to get to the alcoholic beverages and accidentally tripped over Nanaki's tail, sending her flying into the bar counter.

"OW!" she shouted.

"Yuffie, how's your head?" Vincent inquired, a teasing quality entering his monotone voice. Yuffie scowled.

"Hey Vincent!" Tifa greeted. "How are-?" Vincent's eyes locked on Rei and Hotaru's forms. Tifa stopped in seeing the strange expression on the gunman's face. "What's-?" But he was already gone.

"I wonder what's wrong this time?" Yuffie commented.

"With Vincent, there's no telling," Cloud stated sagely.

"That guy's got issues," Yuffie stated.

"Well, I mean, he's made up with Lucrecia, Shelke's recovering fine and loving life, he got his revenge on Hojo, and Chaos is gone. So I wonder why…?" Tifa thought out loud, crossing her arms. Rei and Hotaru exchanged nervous looks. Neither of them had glimpsed the crimson-caped man, but they both felt his presence.

---

**Aurora's Note:** Hey y'all. I know it's been a long time since we last updated and I know this isn't all that long, but it's what we have. Niara hasn't updated in a while, so I'm posting Chapter 3 as it is. I have no idea when Ch. 4 will be up. Hope you enjoyed!


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